South Australia Decides These Cute Little Fish Bottles Must Go

South Australia is putting an end to those familiar fish-shaped soy sauce bottles often found alongside sushi takeout, as part of a broader effort to limit single-use plastics. As of September 1, businesses across the state will be barred from selling or distributing the small, pre-filled 30ml containers. It's a world-first ban on the bottles, which the BBC reports have become a recognizable fixture in Asian eateries worldwide. Created by Teruo Watanabe in Japan in 1954, the bottles were originally fashioned from ceramic or glass and are known as shoyu-tai, or soy-sauce snapper, reports the Guardian.

State Environment Minister Susan Close explained the reasoning: each container is designed for just a moment's convenience but often lingers in the environment for generations. While made from recyclable polyethylene, their tiny size means they're rarely processed by recycling machinery and typically end up as landfill. The ban builds on earlier South Australian legislation that already swept away other single-use plastics—items like shopping bags, straws, cotton swabs, and confetti. The latest move, which Sky News reports also applies to non-compostable fruit and vegetable stickers, is part of a concerted push to cut pollution, lower carbon emissions, and shield marine life from plastic debris.